


some things don't change

by stressedoutteenager



Category: Six of Crows Series - Leigh Bardugo
Genre: F/M, and the crew teasing each other, overcoming their struggles together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-07
Updated: 2020-06-07
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:27:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24588301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stressedoutteenager/pseuds/stressedoutteenager
Summary: A couple years after the Big Heist Inej and Nina are back in Ketterdam and the whole crew stays at Wylan and Jesper's house.They've missed each other... Some more than others and meet privately late nights.They all are (becoming) close friends, after all.
Relationships: Kaz Brekker/Inej Ghafa
Comments: 6
Kudos: 76





	some things don't change

"They're in their own little bubble again.", Jesper says. 

Wylan and Nina follow his gaze, but they really don't have to. They already knew who Jesper is talking about, who is sitting at the far end of the dining table hunched together slightly, in quick conversation. Even if the room were full of people, they'd know. 

"Some things don't change.", Nina shrugs and can't help herself and smile slightly. 

Wylan chuckles and draws his eyes away, focusing on the two Grisha in front of him.  "Well, they're definitely aware we're talking about them. So… You're right."

As if on cue, Inej and Kaz look up. Wylan quickly looks away, Jesper grins at the two of them and Nina, as brave as ever, saunters over to them and grabs Inej's hand. Jesper's eyes follow that action and when Nina whispers something into Inej's ear, she stands up laughing, hooking her arm in Nina's.  His eyes wander over to Kaz, who keeps a straight face but doesn't hide that he's looking after the two women walking out of the room. 

Finally, he turns to Wylan and Jesper and raises a single eyebrow. Jesper holds up a deck of cards, which by now is only used for leisurely games at home, usually between Jesper and Wylan alone. 

-

They're staying at Wylan and Jesper's house. Nina always does, if she's ever in Ketterdam. And so does Inej. Officially. She might slip away at night and come back in the morning, but her belongings settle in the guest room she's currently in once she steps off her ship.  Kaz.. Well, he is the leader of the Dregs, he has his bedroom in the Slat. You could say it all belongs to him, but he only takes his bedroom in the attic and his office on the ground floor as his alone. The rest is his Dregs'. 

When Inej comes back into town, Jesper and Wylan have their friends over but Kaz never stayed too long. Always busy with something. Always the first to go back to the Slat, to leave the rest behind.  But for the last couple of visits from Inej (sometimes accompanied by Nina, but not nearly as often) that has changed. Kaz stayed later and later each night and for the third time now, he has not refused Wylan's offer to stay the night. 

Inej slips into his room, not long after everyone retires to their rooms. Kaz stays next door to her and it's been like this since he started staying the night when she visits. When Nina and her visit. When they come together at the van Eck home. The room is lit by a small light on the windowsill and her eyes are immediately drawn to Kaz who's leaning against it. He was expecting her. His gloves are nowhere in sight, his shirt is unbuttoned on the top, his cane stashed away in a corner. 

"Didn't bother to come through the window this time?", Kaz asks Inej, his eyes following her slow movement towards him. The window was slightly ajar. 

Inej meets his strong gaze, she might have missed the familiar feeling of his eyes on her more than she could imagine.  Inej shakes her head. 

"Nobody is going to hear me either way.", she answers, they didn't want the others to hear or see.  
She stands at the windowsill for a second, before placing her hands on it and pushing herself up, turning mid-air and sitting herself on the windowsill. The candle is between her and Kaz.  She looks at him and sees his eyes already trained on her. She can tell that he wants to say something but when he doesn't, she doesn't push it either. 

They sit in silence for a moment. How is it possible that she missed even this small thing. Keeping Kaz company while he does his work in his office, perched on the windowsill, feeding crows. She didn't like being alone all the time and he didn't expect anything of her in those moments, she realizes now how soothing it had been to have those quiet moments in his office. 

Kaz turns his head first, and turns completely to look at Inej. His gaze wanders over her face, her jet black hair that is falling out of its braid, her throat, her bare shoulders. She didn't bother with a nightgown, only a simple shirt she'd sleep in. 

"I missed seeing you on my windowsill.", he finally says and knows it to be a hundred percent true. 

It's been a couple years since Inej started hunting slavers, it's been a couple years since Kaz looked at his window and expected to see her but was faced with disappointment. He wouldn't have her stay behind for his sake anyway. He knew, he couldn't give her what he deserved. She deserved so much more.   
  


Yet, he tried. He worked on himself. When he met Jesper for a game of cards or on business, he tucked his gloves away as soon as he got to their door. When Wylan came to him on questions shout merchants of the city, who to trust and who to avoid, Kaz slipped his gloves off. He didn't necessarily touch them at every meeting. They didn't always shake hands, they rarely hugged (Jesper tries every time, and sometimes Kaz lets him). However, the knowledge that it could happen and that he needed to prepare himself for it helped immensely. He wouldn't try it with anyone he doesn't trust. He is still the Bastard of the Barrel. No matter how much he grew up in the past years, how many deals he struck, how many alliances he forged. He couldn't show weakness. Not to anyone. Expect the few people in this house tonight. 

Inej holds his gaze and smiles. That smile. Kaz wants to engrave it in his eyelids just to never forget it.   
"Is this your way of recreating all those moments?", Inej asks.  
She's always been bold, always said what she thought. But she had become more open towards him. And he liked it. It terrified him, but he liked it. 

"There has been no premeditated planning.", Kaz answers but his eyes tell a different story. He moves to stand in front of her now. The candle on his right. Kaz puts his hands on the windowsill, on each side of Inej's thighs. 

Her concentration on him doesn't waver, not even when his fingers move closer. They’re at the point in their relationship to each other, that they know they can handle this. At least most times. Still, Kaz stays still when he gets as close to touching her as he can without laying skin on skin, until Inej gives a nod. 

Kaz slowly puts his hands on her thighs, takes a second to take a breath and when she seems comfortable and he doesn't feel the waters rising around his ankles immediately, slowly drifts his hands up. A light touch on her bare thighs, until he gets to her shorts. He lets himself enjoy every second of being able to do this, so does she. She shivers under his touch and when he meets her eye, he can see the glimmer in her eyes. When his hands arrive at her waist, he lifts her in a quick motion and sets her down right in front of him. They're only touching where Kaz's hands meet Inej's waist over her shirt. But he can feel the warmth through the material, he can feel her breath quicken when he draws slow circles with his fingers. 

In this moment, Kaz wants to pray to and thank every God he has ever heard of for the fact that he can do this. That he can touch her, that she can rest her hands on his cheeks and let her fingers trail down his arms. It's slow, a light touch, but they know that's what they need. At least at first.   
  


Being close to each other, touching each other, hasn't always been possible. 

The first time they had tried, when Inej came back for the first time, Kaz couldn't do it. He instantly felt the waters rising, he got nervous, he broke out in sweats. He was ashamed and simply.. Sad. He didn't want to admit it to himself yet but jumping off the deep end straight away was not going to work for either of them. 

But they tried. He did his best. He concentrated on Inej, her pulse, his feelings toward her, he let himself feel them. 

After that first attempt, they tried each night Inej was in Ketterdam.  
Sometimes they just sat and talked about new info he had about slave trades happening in Kerch, giving her all the information he had. Sometimes they sat and talked and Inej told him of her adventures, of her parents she goes to see as often as she can.  Sometimes they sat as close as they could. Sometimes they were able to lay next to each other, to touch briefly, to hug. And sometimes they could do so much more - they could make their dreams come true, however big or small. 

Still, it was never guaranteed that each day would be better. There were setbacks but there was also progress. 

Inej's hands make it into Kaz's hair and he sighs. Who would've thought Kaz likes having his hair played with, but only by Inej. She threads her fingers through his hair and suddenly he shudders. She quickly takes a step back but Kaz holds her tighter around her waist. 

"No.", he says briefly, and after taking in a deep breath, "I'm okay." 

She knows he wouldn't say it, if he didn't mean it. Not only did he change throughout the years when it comes to working on being able to touch her, touch his friends.  He also changed in behavior. Not towards everyone, of course. He had a reputation to uphold. But when it comes to his friends, he lets them closer, he lets himself see them as friends. As people that don't need a stoic front every time they talk. It hasn't made him less sarcastic though. 

He smiles at her and leans his head lower, their faces almost touching.  "You've been gone too long this time, not getting rid of me so easily."

Inej smirks. She has been gone longer than any other time. Following a slaver ship that was harder to catch than her crew thought would be, a visit to her parents and then to Ravka's capital to pick up Nina, made her stay away longer than she ever had.

"I'm here now.", she feels his hands slip under her shirt now, slow and steady. He closes his eyes for a moment and rests his forehead against hers. She knows that it helps that she's talking and that her skin is so warm. She loves how hard he has been trying. "And will be here for another week."

At that she can see the change in Kaz's facial expression. She hadn't told him how long she'd be staying, he'd apparently assumed it would be less than this. Surprising him is always fun, especially when his hands roam around her waist, up and up. 

Still, they know their boundaries. If Kaz doesn't want to admit it, she will now.   
She takes one of his hands in hers, and leads him to the bed. She sees his chest move quicker and his free hand clench.

"I arrived just a couple hours ago, all I want to do right now is sleep.", she says plainly and knows that he understands. He chucks off his button-up and still has an undershirt on.   
Inej lays down, turning her back to where she knows he'll lay down in a few seconds. She feels the mattress dip, she feels his hands slide up from behind her and he rests them on her stomach, over her shirt. A quick movement backs her up and she's settled right in front of him. 

"Good?", he asks her. 

She nods. Being confined like this isn't easy for her. She knows this is Kaz, that she's safe with him. It's none of those men from her nightmares. She breathes in and out deeply an rests her head against him slightly. 

"Good?", she asks him now. She can still feel his breathing being quick, his chest moving up and down faster than usual. It takes him a minute or two but he calms down and nods against her hair. 

"Sleep tight, my Inej." 

-

When Inej wakes up before him, she slowly stands up, trying not to wake him. He needs every bit of sleep he can get. And they wouldn't want the others to know that she slept in his room, she should get back to her own room.  When she goes to open the door, she notices that Kaz did not lock his door. He always does, be it with or without her. He's letting his guard down, even if he's not realizing it. 

The door to her room is locked and she makes quick work of getting the key from under the rug in the hallway, where she put it last night. She freshens up a little and sees it's later than she would ever wake up. But she had had a good night's sleep and that wasn't always a given. She smiles to herself, remembering Kaz's chin on her shoulder, his cheek touching hers. He was sleeping, didn't even notice it, it was a good sign. 

She decides to go down into the kitchen and see who's already awake but when she opens her door, she is greeted by a still sleepy Kaz. He brushed his hair back and put on a proper shirt, but his eyes looked sleepy enough. It always spreads a warm feeling in her when she sees him like this. 

"Good morning.", she says, as he says, "Everything okay?" 

She nods. "Why?" 

"You…", he begins but cuts himself off, "I woke up alone."

Inej has to lean back a little to be able to look him in the eyes.  "The others.. ", Inej says and looks around the hallway. They both like their privacy. They're working through their own issue and their friends are part of it to some extent but they had decided that it might be better this way.

Kaz shakes his head. "I don't care."

Inej smiles at him instantly, can't help herself. They went from 'I protected you because you're my investment' because he couldn't admit anything to her or himself, to him not caring that anyone else knows what he is feeling. 

"Alright.", she says. 

"Good.", he says, lips drawn in a small smile. 

"I'm starving.", Inej finally says after a couple seconds silence.

Kaz steps aside and says:" Lead the way, Ghafa."

-

When Inej and Kaz arrive in the kitchen, Jesper and Wylan are already there.   
Wylan looks up from his coffee and wishes them both a good morning. Kaz only nods but Inej says good morning with a bright smile. 

"Somebody is having a good morning.", Jesper comments at that. 

Inej and Kaz sit down across from Wylan and Jesper. 

"Your guest rooms are very comfortable, thank you for letting me stays here.",Inej says, looking from Wylan to Jesper. 

They just wave her off.  "You know, you're always welcome here.", Wylan answers and means it. Without Inej none of them would be here today. 

"And if she weren't, she wouldn't be without a cozy room anyway.", Nina says, as she waltzes into the room.  She looks well-rested and finds her place at the head of the table.  Wylan coughs to cover up his laugh, Jesper doesn't bother. His laugh echoes through the room and all eyes turn to Inej and Kaz. 

Inej smiles at her friend and says: "Good morning to you too, Nina."

"Morning, morning.", Nina answers and looks between Inej and Kaz. Kaz sits straight up, letting his eyes wander over his friends. Wylan is still sometimes surprised to see him in his kitchen. Kaz always held up his end of a bargain, he has helped Wylan more than he might be aware and sure, Kaz usually never does something if there's nothing in it for him, but him sitting here with the rest of them on a lazy Saturday morning is a welcomed surprise. 

"So Kaz, how did you sleep?", Nina asks, leaning forward in her seat and resting her chin on her propped up hand. 

"Like a baby.", he answers, "Your guest rooms are indeed very comfortable.", he adds turning to Wylan and Jesper. 

"Would you look at that, Wylan. Never have we gotten so many compliments on this particular subject.", Jesper muses, "Might have to see if the room they stayed in is more comfortable than even our bed."

Nobody misses the singular form of room and even if they did, Jesper's grin would've explained what he meant anyway. 

"I can't believe you didn't go back to the Slat last night, Kaz.", Nina says, batting her eyelashes at him, which makes Wylan bite his lip to refrain himself from commenting himself. 

He shrugs. "Had plenty of reason to stay here.", then adds with raised eyebrows towards Nina, "How's Ravka treating you?" 

Suddenly everyone stops whatever they're doing. Wylan sees Kaz's lip tug in the smallest smile at the reaction he just got. He's satisfied. 

"Is Kaz Brekker inquiring about my well-being?", Nina asks with a loud gasp. 

"It's not like it's the first time he does.", says Inej, but gets ignored because Jesper shoots out of his seat. Wylan just smiles up to him. 

"Oh isn't this wonderful. Kaz and Inej had a great night", he sends them a meaningful glance and expects something to be thrown at him but nothing comes, so he continues, "they had a great morning, Nina is happy. Wylan, we're doing a great job as hosts. And next time we can just prepare one less room."

"I see, nobody really grew up then?", Kaz smirks and leans back in his chair. 

Wylan notices Inej leaning slightly towards Kaz. 

"Hey! Not true", Jesper interjects, "Wylan grew two more centimeters since the big Heist."

Wylan rolls his eyes and laughs:"And Jesper learned not to pair every single pattern in his wardrobe."

"Hey!", Jesper jumps in, but the rest of them murmur in agreement with Wylan. 

"Wow, okay. In my own home, when I'm happy for my friends… unbelievable. I might need to eat all these waffles on my own then.", he theatrically grabs the plate with the waffles and moves to the other side of the room. 

Nina shakes her head: "Jesper, just because our love sick Brekker here started something, doesn't mean you have to punish us all."

"I can still hold up a fight against each of you, don't forget. Grisha or not.", Kaz warns them, but there's no real danger behind his words. 

"You could.", Nina says, and Jesper and Wylan finish her sentence, "But you wouldn't."

Kaz raises his eyebrows in question and Jesper answers: "You've grown soft on us."

"Kaz is not soft.", Inej remarks. Her thoughts of his hands on her, his word in her ear beg to differ, but they didn't have to know that. There's always that instinct in her to protect Kaz's facade, his reputation. It's hard to turn off. 

"I said, he's grown soft on us. Not everyone else.", Jesper sets the plate on the table and rounds the room to stand behind Kaz. 

Without moving, without looking up, Kaz says: "If you try to hug me, I'll show you soft.", and Jesper's arms freeze mid-air, he's hunched over Kaz. 

Wylan then says: "Jes, set your ass down next to me please and let's eat. I'm starving." Jesper nods and Wylan notices Kaz showing Inej a look that could pass as flirty if it wasn't Kaz. 

"Oh, I bet you're starving, alright.", Kaz says now and Nina jumps in on it. 

"If we're talking about a good night, we should be talking about you two.", she says, pointing between Jesper and Wylan. Jesper just grins and Wylan can feel his cheeks turn red. 


End file.
